Meet the soccer moms with a big goal: Bring elite women’s team to town

There are soccer moms — and then there are soccer moms like Melissa Nelson and Emily Thomas.

The kind of moms who don’t just support their athletes but are so committed to the sport they now find themselves owners of an elite women’s soccer club.

The Sioux Falls City Futbol Club joined the Women’s Premier Soccer League for its 2022 season – mere months after the moms and their husbands first learned it could be a possibility.

“The next thing we know, we’re owning a soccer team,” Thomas said.

Thomas and her husband, Eric, have known Nelson and her husband, Gabe, since their middle daughters began playing soccer together as young children. The girls now are playing or about to play at the college level.

Taylor Thomas completed her freshman season at the University of Dayton in Ohio last fall.

Avery Nelson is a Lincoln High School senior heading to Augustana University this fall.

The whole ownership thing started when Avery came home recently and told her parents she heard there might be an elite women’s soccer team coming to Sioux Falls.

“We were excited to hear about it. My husband started asking around, but it turned out it wasn’t going to happen,” Nelson said.

They started asked questions.

“What would it take? What does something like that involve, and why wouldn’t we want to do something like that? Our state and city could totally support it, and we needed it.”

They reached out to the league about requirements and realized it could become reality – but they didn’t want to do it alone.

“We decided to invite friends to do it with us — because what a cool experience,” Nelson said.

They asked themselves “who is as passionate about soccer as we are,” which led to a dinner conversation with the Thomases.

“It sounded incredible, and it was kind of an easy decision for Eric and I to say yes,” Thomas said.

That was in November. A few weeks later, they had approval from the league to move forward.

“And then we just hit the ground running, and we haven’t stopped since,” Nelson said.

Gabe and Melissa Nelson, and Emily and Eric Thomas

Building the dream

These two families know something about what it takes to make soccer dreams come true.

Taylor Thomas moved to Minnesota when she was 14 to be able to prepare for a college career.

“It was just something that she wanted to do,” her mother said. “Of course, she got support (locally), but there was really nothing for her to look up to, to dream big here. She knew what she wanted and has always known, and we supported her and still do.”

Avery Nelson has traveled extensively since she was 13 “to get exposure and experience,” her mother said. “Her goal always was to play collegiate. She decided to stay Division II and is thinking medical school.”

During college searches, “they would ask where you’re from, and you’d say South Dakota, and they would say, ‘Oh what’s there?’ and we want to change that,” Thomas said. “We want to put Sioux Falls on the map for soccer, especially for women.”

In Sioux Falls City FC, they hope to offer the opportunity to play at a high level beginning in late high school through the college off-season to young women both locally and from outside the area.

Each team typically includes 30 to 40 players. There will be tryouts this spring, and the coach — whose hiring is being finalized — will recruit other players.

Many of those women will spend six to 12 weeks in Sioux Falls in May and June, with the postseason in July.

“We’re working to make sure we’re providing good housing for girls who aren’t local and need a place to live,” Nelson said. “And we’re hoping to provide opportunities if they need a job or internship.”

As college athletes, the players can’t be paid, though the team can cover housing, team meals and transportation. The hope is that the players will connect with local kids through camps and other outreach opportunities.

“We want to empower these athletes to be leaders to young girls and leaders in the community, and we want to surround them with women who can help show them what’s possible,” Nelson said. “There’s just so many win-win wins on this.”

What to expect

Sioux Falls City Futbol Club recently secured its home field: the University of Sioux Falls stadium, where soccer lines will be painted on the field before games are expected to start in May.

“The league requires certain things venues have to have, and this checked all the boxes and then some,” Thomas said.

It was important to find a venue in the city of Sioux Falls, and “the fields have to be certain dimensions, we have to offer locker rooms, possibly showers especially to the away (team), areas for the refs, all that,” Nelson said.

“Our goal is to have a team on the field in May, and it doesn’t give us a lot of time.”

The league is the largest for women globally, including 140 teams in the U.S. The Sioux Falls team will play in the central region’s northern conference, which has nine teams, including several in Minnesota — the Twin Cities, Mankato and Rochester — and in Fargo.

Tickets won’t cost more than $10. The team is looking for sponsorship support to cover other expenses.

“That’s what we’re working on every day, and we’re seeing a great response,” Nelson said. “The community is really excited, and there are a lot of people who want to be involved in some way, shape or form.”